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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24480562">Zoids Twilight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zailight/pseuds/Zailight'>Zailight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zoids Twilight [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Zoids (Anime &amp; Toys)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:20:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,490</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24480562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zailight/pseuds/Zailight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The beginning! Its been 2 years since the end of hostilities between the Helic Rebublic and Neo-Zenebas Empire, and on Europa, the scars of the war are still fresh. Out in the wastes, we get introduced to our two leads, and one very endearing zoid.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zoids Twilight [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1609336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Zoids Fan Works</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Zoids Twilight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> ZAC 2111, Early Spring. Blue Oasis Settlement, Western Continent Europa. 10:48 hours </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“So you’re finally awake.”<br/>
<br/>
August sleepily looked around the room he now found himself in; the unfamiliar smell of the crisp, clean bed sheets he had been resting under wafting up into his nostrils. The room was sparse, save for a framed painting that hung on the wall, and a chair on which a heap of clothing rested. The only object of actual note in the room was the girl who was looking over him, dressed in sweats and a tank top. She had long, platinum blonde hair that covered part of a huge, nasty scar. It was one of several, and it ran down her cheek, through her neck, and presumably down her torso too, though August wouldn’t let his eyes wander that far while he was being watched. </p><p> </p><p>He let out a groan and rubbed his eyes, then sat up, only now taking note of the fact that he’d been stripped down to his dark undershirt and briefs at some point since becoming unconscious. Wait-</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve been out for about two days.” The girl continued, seemingly following his thought process. “I found you delirious out in the badlands, then brought you back here. You would have died of exposure otherwise.”</p><p> </p><p>Now he remembered. He’d gotten lost looking for Blue Oasis: a town on the border between what was Helic and Neo-Zenebas territory in northern Europa. What happened next was kind of hazy, likely due to the dehydration. The boyish looking teenager lazily ran his hand through the spiky mat of blonde that was his hair, and finally spoke.</p><p> </p><p> “Guess I owe you big time, then. Thanks.” He shook his head, trying to wake himself up. “So, uhhh, where’s here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Blue Oasis.” She answered rather curtly. </p><p> </p><p>“For real?!” He asked, nearly jumping out of the sheets. “Awesome! That’s where I was headed!”</p><p> </p><p>“Put some clothes on before you go running off at least?” August stopped, blushing as he remembered his modesty. Not quite understanding, he started looking around the room, before her hand directed him to the chair. </p><p> </p><p>“Your stuff’s over there. I’ll meet you downstairs.” And with that, she left, shutting the door behind her. </p><p> </p><p>August got up and began to get dressed, throwing on the red pants and matching short sleeved jacket first and finishing with his brown boots and gloves.</p><p> </p><p>A few minutes later, he was downstairs in her kitchen, where the girl was sipping from a coffee mug. “Hey, I never uhh, caught your name.” He said, giving her a small wave.</p><p> </p><p>“Aesling. Aesling Sturlson.” She replied. August took a minute to get a better look at her. She was a few years older than he was, maybe 20 or 21. She was in good shape, too- toned, but not too skinny, with grey-blue eyes that stood out on her round, cute-looking face. Were it not for the scars, he thought, she’d actually be very pretty, but they were hard to ignore. The massive one on her face especially. Now that he had a better look at it, August could see that it did indeed run all the way from her cheek, to her neck, and down her torso. Right through her… <em> oh. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, the left one’s not all there anymore. Quit staring.” </p><p> </p><p>“S-sorry…” He looked down sheepishly.</p><p> </p><p>“Between the desert and now, it seems like you making an ass of yourself is a regular occurence.” She sighed, very clearly not amused. </p><p> </p><p>For a moment, August’s embarrassment was replaced by anger, but before he could have an outburst, Aesling continued. “But whatever. I’ll let you slide. Tell me your name instead, kid.”</p><p> </p><p>“August Krautzewitz.” He answered almost automatically.</p><p> </p><p>“Krautzewitz… Impie or Republican?”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s it matter?”</p><p> </p><p>“It's a good distinction to make, especially around here.” The look she was giving him told August that there was definitely a right and wrong answer to her question.</p><p> </p><p>“Imperial.” He opted to tell the truth. Aesling lowered her eyes again; clearly he’d chosen incorrectly.</p><p> </p><p>“Figured. Well, can’t choose where you’re born, I guess.”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong with the empire?”</p><p> </p><p>“How’s losing your country and your folks because of it, for starters. Worth mentioning I only got one of those things back, too.” August knew exactly how that felt, though he wasn’t about to explain the particulars to her. His agitation must have been pretty obvious though, because Aesling abruptly changed the subject. “But, I suppose I ought to be showing you some hospitality. You want some coffee?” She gestured to the coffee pot on the counter top to her left. </p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” He walked over and poured himself a mug before sitting across from her. They sat in a rather awkward silence for a spell, August not really knowing what to say and Aesling not really caring. Eventually the silence was broken by a very loud knock on the wall outside. Aesling groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“Dammit Charlie, it's too early for this.” She muttered as she got up and walked out of the room toward the front door. Out of curiosity, August followed her, and to his amazement he saw not a human in the doorway, but part of the cockpit of a guysack outside it, which was eagerly chittering. </p><p> </p><p>“Is that a guysack?!” </p><p> </p><p>“Yup.” she said flatly.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never seen one up close before.” August excitedly made his way over and squeezed his way past both Aesling and Charlie’s cockpit block to have a better look at the scorpion zoid. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey there big guy...”  He ran his hand over the dusty brown armor plating on one of Charlie’s claws for a moment, then let out a little yelp as the zoid swept the claw behind him and under his rear, lifting the boy up and onto his thorax. The surprise quickly turned to joy as August realized Charlie was giving him a ride.</p><p> </p><p>“Well would you look at that. He likes you, kid.” It was the first time August had seen her with something resembling a smile. </p><p> </p><p>“So you’re a zoid pilot?!”</p><p> </p><p>“Sort of.” She pointed up at the building they had both come from. The words “Sturlson Garage” hung from it, made from old armor plating and other assorted scraps. August could now see the rather large repair bay that was attached to Aesling’s house too, and with a look at their surroundings he could tell that her “yard” was actually tarmac, surrounded by the telltale barbed wire fences that marked a military installation. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m Blue Oasis’s best zoid mechanic. Charlie here helps me when I go out scavenging for parts, though I feel more like his mom than his pilot most of the time.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s really lively. I didn’t know guysacks were like this.”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re usually not, but then again Charlie’s a special case. I found his core out in the wasteland. Wild zoids must have taken the body and left the core- happens occasionally with feral combat units. The genetic test I did came back insectoid, so I kept the core fed and built him a guysack chassis from old sleepers. Dunno if that’s what he was originally, but Charlie seems to feel right at home with it. Still, it's not often he takes such a shine to new people. He’s usually a lot more protective of me.”</p><p> </p><p>August laughed. “Zoids always like me, for whatever reason.” He gave Charlie a pat as he spoke. “I don’t have one of my own, but when I was little I was really friendly with most of the zoids on my dad’s base. His fuhrer even liked to give me rides in her cockpit, and those tyrannosaurs don’t usually like<em> anybody </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your dad was army huh?” Despite the topic returning to the empire, Aesling’s mood appeared to be improving. Their common love of zoids was helping her warm up to August, it seemed.</p><p> </p><p>“Both my parents were. Mom was a lightning saix pilot. My sisters enlisted when they were old enough, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“My mom was an army medic, and Dad was a wolf pilot.”</p><p> </p><p>“Guess we’re both army brats then.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Seems that way.” She paused for a moment, then tapped her fist on her other palm as she remembered what exactly Charlie had come to the door for in the first place. “Oh, right! Breakfast.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p> </p><p>“Charlie wants his nutrients for the day. That’s why he came outside so early.” And with that, Aesling disappeared into the repair bay garage. She was gone for a good few minutes, during which time August had ample opportunity to take in his surroundings.</p><p> </p><p>Blue Oasis wasn’t actually named for the oasis itself (though it did get the majority of its water supply from it). Instead the town took its name from the old Republican supply base it was built in, on, and around. During the western continent war some 12 years earlier, Blue Oasis Base had been on the front line- captured by the empire in their first thrust across the continent, then retaken and used as a minor staging ground when the Helic forces gained the upper hand. After the war moved to Nyx, the republicans left it largely abandoned in favor of Nixie base to the northwest, and in the following decade the locals had moved in. When the war ended, the republic had seen fit to let them keep it. After all, the installation itself was largely gutted and its proximity to the old battlegrounds in the Red Rust Desert was no longer considered a necessary strategic asset. </p><p> </p><p>In the two years since, Blue Oasis had become a scavenger’s town- passed through by mercenaries, merchants, and anyone else intent on crossing the border one way or another. Units from both militaries occasionally turned up for inspections or to barter and trade, but other than that the town was mostly left to its own devices. It had its own standing defense force even, which was spearheaded by an ancient, but stoic white Gordos that the locals called Finn. Finn had a faulty leg that gave him a distinct, waddling gait, and had more or less become Blue Oasis’s unofficial mascot in the time since his previous owner (a former republican major) had gifted him to the town in an effort to give the old zoid a pleasant retirement.</p><p> </p><p>Aesling’s home in particular was built attached to what was once upon a time part of the base’s repair and resupply facilities. There were other homes nearby of similar construction as well, with zoids and vehicles parked intermittently on what was left of the tarmac where there was space.</p><p> </p><p>His train of thought was interrupted by Aesling’s return. The girl was carrying what looked like a metal watering can, though he could also see various gauges and sensors on the side of the device. August watched as she made her way around to Charlie’s side and opened a port. “Guess you feed republican zoids the same way you do imperial ones.”</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, in the republican army it's usually done by automated machinery.” She replied, pouring the nutrient mix in as she spoke. But, I’ll give you impies credit where it's due: hand feeding is the way to go. Helps you bond with them and you get to see what the nutrient mix does firsthand, if you know what you’re looking for. Like take Charlie here for example. His core needs way more calories than the prescribed guysack nutrition package, so I have to mix in some stuff for double sworders. And even with that, he needs his daily instead of every other day, but he’s picky and it doesn’t sit well with him unless you give it to him warmed.”</p><p> </p><p>“So you mix it all yourself, then?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yup, for every zoid I work on. Don’t really have much of a choice this far out in the boonies. Luckily with the Oasis nearby there’s plenty of fluid for the kettle. But enough about my job. What’s a kid like you doing this far out on his own, anyway?”</p><p> </p><p>August hopped down off of Charlie’s back onto the opposite side, then walked around his tail and over to Aesling. “Just sorta wandering.” </p><p> </p><p>She gave him an incredulous look, complete with a raised eyebrow. “Wandering?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep, wandering. Not aimlessly though. I want to find a zoid of my own.”</p><p> </p><p>“You wanna be a zoid pilot?” August nodded emphatically. “Well you’re not exactly in the best place for that. Most of the zoids around here are scrap, or worse, too feral to pilot. The war did a number on them, just like us humans.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, but, ahh…” He scratched the back of his head nervously. “Let's just say I don’t have much of a choice.” August quickly changed the subject before she could inquire further. “But hey, know any good spots to eat in town? When you’re all set with Charlie, whaddya say I buy you lunch? I’ve got a few gallos on me, and I wanna repay you for pulling me out of the desert. Call it a thankyou.”</p><p> </p><p>“Won’t say no to free food. Sure. I’ll show you around town while we’re at it- not that there’s much to see.</p><p> </p><p>“Eh, I seen worse.” He replied with a laugh.</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>An hour or so later, the two were seated at a table in Joel’s: the bar and grill that served as the local watering hole when the actual hole with water in it just wouldn’t do. The food wasn’t spectacular, but it tasted good and it helped business that it was one of exactly two places in Blue Oasis that one could go out to eat. The interior was a bit grungy and dimly lit, which fit the usual clientele to a T. In fact, August and Aesling stood out a bit among the mercenaries, scavengers, and drifters who were also there getting a bite. </p><p> </p><p>“So your dad was a full Lieutenant?” August asked. They’d been swapping secondhand war stories from their parents, and August had just finished bragging about his dad’s tour with the Eissen Dragoon. </p><p> </p><p>“Yup. Well, he started the war as a junior grade, but after Nixie base he got a promotion and a new zoid. He was head over heels in love with that konig wolf from the second she stepped off the hover cargo.”</p><p> </p><p>“I remember seeing a unit of those when I was a little kid, actually.”</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t look like you’re from Nyx… And you didn’t run screaming?”</p><p> </p><p>“Tell you the truth I thought they were the coolest thing.” He laughed.  “I was too young to really understand that they were the enemy, and thankfully the guys inside told me to run along instead of shooting at a little kid.” August stopped for a moment to take a huge bite of his cheeseburger, then continued after he swallowed with a rather audible gulp. “And i’m uhh, Zenebas, actually. I spent way more time on the central continent growing up anyway, so the sun really doesn’t bother me much at all.”</p><p> </p><p>“Guess you lucked out, then.”</p><p> </p><p>“Suppose so. One of my sisters has it really bad though- too much time without sunlight growing up.</p><p> </p><p>“So are your folks even ok with you being out by yourself? You don’t look any older than like, 14.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m 16, first of all.” He said with a hmph. “I just haven’t hit my growth spurt yet. And second… they wouldn’t know. They passed away a long time ago.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh… sorry…” Now Aesling was the embarrased one. She had a lot more in common with the kid than she thought, and she was starting to regret being so cold toward him earlier.</p><p> </p><p>“It's whatever. I’m not the only war orphan out in the world.”</p><p> </p><p>Aesling looked down for a moment. “Well, what about your sisters?”</p><p> </p><p>“May’s still out on deployment and April… she’s not around much these days.”</p><p> </p><p>“She the sunburnt one?” Then, something occurred to Aesling, and she started giggling. “Wait, <em> May </em> , <em> April, </em> and <em> August?” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Yeah yeah laugh it up. We’re all named after the months we were born in.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s freakin’ adorable.”</p><p> </p><p>“It's freakin’ <em> lame </em> is what it is. If someone calls me ‘Augie’ one more time I swear I’m gonna lose my mind.”</p><p> </p><p>“Duly noted, <em> Gus </em>.” </p><p> </p><p>He groaned. “Fine, whatever. That’s what I get for sharing I guess.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can call me Ash if it makes you feel better.”</p><p> </p><p>“It doesn’t. But I will anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good enough.” She said, giving him a smile. Before they could continue though, a commotion coming from a few tables away caught their attention. It was a group of the more typical clientele, clearly not aware of their own volume.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m tellin’ ya, it's gonna be the score of the century man! C’mon guys just one more run out into the desert.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wit, you’re so fulla shit your eyes are brown. Last time we trusted your intel for a salvage run we ran headlong into a sleeper battalion. They toasted Jerry’s godos, remember?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re lucky I aint makin’ you pay for the repairs, either.” The other one, evidently Jerry, chimed in. Aesling looked on, evidently bemused by the whole exchange.</p><p> </p><p>“You know those guys?” August asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Unfortunately. Pudgy blonde guy in the middle there’s named Wit. He’s a prospector- basically does what I do, but he sells what he finds instead of using it himself, if it isn’t ancient junk, that is.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ancient junk?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. He blows all his money looking for ancient ruins and stuff like that, then washes up here when he can’t find anything that’s actually useful. Only reason he isn’t totally broke is that he hauls goods and zoids in his gustav from time to time.”</p><p> </p><p>“But Gene I’ve got a legit client this time. Knows the site and everything.” Wit pleaded.</p><p> </p><p>“Hell no. I’m not risking my Iguan on some crackpot’s surveys.”</p><p> </p><p>“And those two lovely gentlemen,” Aesling said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Are Jerry and Gene Stavros. They’re what passes for professional zoid pilots around here. Barely. More of a pair of goons than actual mercs. They’re in the defense force like I am, but that’s only because we can’t find too many people with actual skill.”</p><p> </p><p>She must have been speaking too loud, because at that Jerry turned around, stroking his goatee. There was a strong smell of liquor on his breath, and August’s nose wrinkled as it wafted over. “Well well if it isn’t Ash Sturlson. What, gotta date guys half your age because you’re only half a woman now?”</p><p> </p><p> If looks could kill, the one Aesling gave Jerry in response would have vaporized him, but she said nothing. Gene rolled his eyes and shook his head, and Wit seemed to be cowering in his booth. “Hey kiddo listen,” Jerry was talking to August now, walking over and putting his hand on his shoulder. “I know you probably haven’t been around the block too many times, but trust me, you wanna steer clear of this one. Next thing you know she’ll be ranting and raving about how the Blue Devil’s gonna come getcha.” He snickered. “Girl’s too embarrassed to admit that a wild zoid got the best of her, so she goes and blames it on some frontier legend.”</p><p> </p><p>Aesling looked like she was ready to maul him, but before she could actually get out of her seat to attempt such a thing, August stood up and brushed Jerry’s hand off his shoulder. “Apologize to her.”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I said. Apologize to her.” August glared at him, fists clenched. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, so the kid’s smitten is he? Look, I’m just trying to save you some grief is all. Girl’s nuts I tell ya.”</p><p> </p><p>“Scumbags like you give zoid pilots a bad name. Now I’m not gonna tell you again. Apologize to her.”</p><p> </p><p>“Big talk comin’ from such a scrawny runt. Whatsamatter Ash, got little boys fighting your battles for you to-“</p><p> </p><p>Before he could finish, August cut him off with a punch to the face. With a soft cracking noise, Jerry yelped and fell back, blood flowing from a broken nose. August winced as his hand throbbed, but didn’t have time to do much else before Jerry bounced back up and had him pinned to a table, with his hands clenched around the boy’s throat.</p><p> </p><p>“Get off him!” Aesling jumped in too, wailing on the man with as many fists as she could throw before Gene, who was far larger than any of them, stepped in and pulled her off of his brother with one arm, and then Jerry off of August with the other.</p><p> </p><p>“Now all of you cut it out! I’m not about to get kicked out of the only good place to eat in this shithole because you can’t keep from throwing hands!” He turned to August in particular next, waiting a second for him to catch his breath so he could pay attention. “And as for you, kid, I’ll let you off the hook this time on account of my idiot brother, but a little <em> actual </em>advice: don’t go picking fights you can’t win. Pull something like that again and you’ll have our zoids to deal with, too.” </p><p> </p><p>With that, the two of them were off, leaving August with the unenviable task of paying both for their food and the fight he’d started.</p><p> </p><p>A while later, Gus and Aesling sat out on some grass nearby, digesting and decompressing. August had a glove off, nursing a bruised hand. They had both been quiet for several minutes before he finally spoke up. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry about what happened back there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry about it.” She replied, giving him half a smile. “It was sweet of you to stick up for me. Next time though, maybe let me fight my own battles. I can handle myself just fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know you can- better than me, but guys like him get under my skin.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah… I’ll bet they do. He used to be a lot nicer though, believe it or not.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“We even dated for awhile.” Aesling let out a small laugh. “Before The Devil got me.”</p><p> </p><p>“The Devil? That frontier legend he mentioned?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. The Blue Devil. It's not a legend though. It's very real, and it almost killed me.”</p><p> </p><p>“What is it?”</p><p> </p><p>“A feral Zoid that ran off this base during the war, not that anyone can verify that one way or another. Supposedly it was abused by its pilot. The story goes that one day it had enough, and crushed him under its paw. Now it hunts people and zoids for sport.”</p><p> </p><p>“You think that’s true?”</p><p> </p><p>“I doubt it. What I know for sure is that it's a blue saber tiger, and that it's not friendly. People see it stalking them from time to time and occasionally it’ll attack unprovoked. It's smart too- it knows how to set ambushes on its own. The poor thing gets blamed whenever someone goes missing or we find a zoid mauled out in the wastes. I’m the only human it’s ever taken a swipe at on foot, though. At least the only one who lived to tell about it. If you ask me, I think it’s just territorial, and traumatized from the war.”</p><p> </p><p>“That's kind of sad, actually.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think so, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m surprised you can still have sympathy for it after what it did to you.”</p><p> </p><p>“It's clearly been through a lot. I can empathize. Doesn’t mean I don’t owe it the mother of all ass-kickings if I ever see it again, but it's not evil, and it doesn’t deserve anything more than that. Besides, if someone manages to subdue it and bring it back, maybe we can rehabilitate it. Saber Tigers are good zoids. Big cats can be real sweethearts.</p><p> </p><p>August smiled, wide-eyed, then stood up. He was about to say something, but Aesling interrupted him.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t even think about it.”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t even say anything yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know what you’re thinking. You’re obviously good with zoids, I’ll give you that, but the Blue Devil’s not something you can tame, Gus.”</p><p> </p><p>“Has anyone even tried?”</p><p> </p><p>“Zoids like that don’t just come around if you’re nice to them. They act on instinct, and perceive every living thing as a potential threat, or worse, a prey item. Look at me.” She pointed to the scars on her face as she spoke. “They’re dangerous, and the devil even moreso.”</p><p> </p><p>Before August could argue, the ground underneath them shook with the telltale rhythm of zoid movement. They both looked up to see a gustav, clad in faded maroon paint, pulling three trailers up what passed for a street toward them. One was a container, one was empty, and on the third stood a pristine looking red shield liger. The gustav slowed, then stopped in front of them and opened the canopy.</p><p> </p><p>“Shipping out, Wit?” Aesling called over to the man in the drivers’ seat.</p><p> </p><p>“We will be, but actually I was looking for you.” He replied, hoisting his large frame out of the cab as his companion in the passenger’s seat did the same, but with far less effort.</p><p> </p><p>“Who’s this?” Aesling asked, pointing to the tall, well-toned, red-haired man standing next to Wit.</p><p> </p><p>“My client.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can call me Jet.” The man interjected, a wide, friendly smile on his face. He wore typical looking wastelander clothes- in this case a dark tank top underneath a very worn, sandy brown cloak. Most notably though, he appeared to be covered in scars, or perhaps they were elaborate tribal tattoos. Whatever they were, they were the color of rust and resembled claw marks, and they were all over his body, even on one of his cheeks. “Wit told me about what went down earlier, and since Jerry and Gene opted out we’re in need of some extra muscle. Figured I’d toss the job offer your way to make it up to you.”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s the job?” Aesling asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Scavenging some sites I found while they’re still above the sands. I’m looking for something particular, so if you bring your zoid along and pull your weight you’re welcome to anything else we find. Pay’s good too. Sound good?”</p><p> </p><p>“A little too good, actually. Wit, are you sure you can trust this guy?”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, I know, but trust me, Jet’s legit. Shield Liger’s his, and we went on a dry run a few weeks ago to scout the sites out. Seen ‘em myself.” </p><p> </p><p>Jet nodded in agreement. “Gonna be at least a few days there and back, though. Fair warning.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good enough for me. I’m in.” Aesling turned to August next. “You’re coming too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” </p><p> </p><p>“It's not like you have too much money or any place to stay right now, and I’ve gotta lock the garage up. Besides, we might find a zoid out there.”</p><p> </p><p>“If you can do some heavy lifting, I’d be happy to pay you too, kid.” Jet added.</p><p> </p><p>“Guess I can’t say no to that.” August replied, reaching a hand out.</p><p> </p><p>“Good answer.” Jet replied, giving Gus a firm handshake.<br/>
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